04/08/2025 08:20
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has finally ruled Max
Verstappen out of defending his 2024 F1 drivers' title, following a
challenging Hungarian Grand Prix. Verstappen started from eighth
but actually finished a position lower in ninth, despite several
excellent overtakes, particularly into Turn 6 in the early stages.
To add to the Dutchman's woes, McLaren secured yet another one-two,
with Lando Norris securing victory ahead of Oscar Piastri. As a
result, Verstappen has fallen to 97 points adrift, making Marko now
rule the four-time world champion out of retaining his crown. "It's
impossible, clearly," he replied to media, on if Verstappen's title
chances are over. Despite the Milton Keynes-based outfit's
difficulties, Marko had long still believed this season could be
Verstappen's. It represents the first time he has ruled the
27-year-old out of the title fight. The Hungaroring was a nightmare
for Red Bull and Verstappen, with a two-stop strategy having not
worked for the reigning world champion. In hindsight, Marko wishes
a one-stop had been conducted, considering the pace Verstappen had
at times. "[Red Bull's performance was] inferior, but I think one
stop would have been better, because overtaking was really
difficult," added Marko. "So maybe sixth or fifth [was possible],
but the speed, which was funny, two or three laps, [Verstappen] was
doing the same laps like the leaders, 1:19.5, but we believe we
know what went wrong." Following a bad start, Verstappen did
briefly progress to fifth, before completing a second pit-stop.
Unfortunately, too much time was lost with the second pit-stop, as
those battling for fifth were on one-stop strategies. "The first
stops, the tyres were gone, and the second stop, we thought we
could overtake. But as we saw for a couple of laps, yes, the speed
was there, but then it was over."
